#2: India-Pakistan War of 1971
When one thinks of war involving India, the first thing that often comes up is tensions between the notorious, India and Pakistan. While any short discussion of this complicated relationship may result in a simplification, this article seeks to highlight the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 and how it has shaped Indian politics today. This is the India-Pakistan war — the 13 most significant days in the history of our subcontinent.
It is important to note that the current map of the Indian subcontinent was not the one that was involved in the partition of India. The Radcliffe Line was the famous border demarcation marked by the British which split India and Pakistan into two parts. Pakistan was further divided into East and West Pakistan which are now Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively.
The conflict emerged when tensions between West Pakistan and East Pakistan, which was both culturally and religiously closer to India than it was to West Pakistan. Later, Lieutenant General Tikka Khan initiated Operation Searchlight to suppress the upcoming rebellion emerging in the Bengali dominated, East Pakistan — many human rights violations were reported ruing this time. Hostilities began on the 3rd of December, 1971 when the PAF (Pakistan Air Forces) launched airstrikes on 11 Indian Fields. Then, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi marked this as a ‘declaration of war against India. The Indian Air Force initiated their retaliatory strikes on the same night which officially began the 13-day war.
Despite the brutality of the beginning, the war culminated in less than two weeks ending on December 16, 1971, when Pakistan Army Lieutenant General AAK Niazi signed the instrument of surrender due to the gravity of losses being endured. Due to the surrender, 93,000 Pakistani soldiers were held as prisoners of war in India and East Pakistan became its own country: Bangladesh.
There have been many other skirmishes between India and Pakistan, from the Indo-Pak war of 1965 (which will be covered) to many others, however, this war not only established one of the greatest geographical changes in this region but affirmed the strength of the Indian Armed Forces and marked the largest military surrender after World War 2. Despite being one of the shortest wars in modern history, we can still see tensions between the three nations at an all-time high even now in 2021. International relations aside, the war of 1971 resulted in a key domestic play for then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi which would be pivotal to understanding The Emergency.
